WANDA | Hubei in the Air

Project Overview

Client: WANDA Entertainment Group

Hubei in the Air is an immersive film experience in which viewers are taken on a flight over the historically rich province of Hubei, China. This 5:30 sequence was rendered at 6.5K through a 150° wide angle camera, which was designed to perfectly match the geometry of the 65ft wide x 40ft tall curved dome on which it would be projected.

Summary

Hubei in the Air is unique, utilizing a variety of styles to present these immersive environments. It begins with a mountain range realized through stylized sumi-e brush strokes, portrays the birthplace of Kung-Fu created with folded paper and showcases remote locations rendered with rich photorealistic detail. The Pixomondo team conducted two location scouts, shooting over 90,000 photos using drones for aerial views. These reference images were used to generate accurate 3D geometry through a cloud-based photogrammetry tool. The meshes derived from this process (though perfect for previz) were used as a template for 3D artists to model hero detailed architecture and landscape. Creating 3D assets to be projected on such a large surface at 6.5K necessitated the injection of a huge amount of geometry & texture detail into every scene. In addition to producing the media, the Pixomondo team was responsible for programming the motion base to work in concert with the animated camera, and for visual cues to trigger physical elements such as wind, scent, mist and water.